Exhale
by Fayrie Dust
Summary: Maka is brokenhearted by her unrequited feelings for Soul. Crona cannot stand seeing Maka so hurt, but what can he do about it? He can barely breathe when he's around her, so how can he expect to comfort her?
1. Dampened Spirits

_**Chapter One**__** \- Dampened Spirits**_

Maka is probably one of the kindest people I will ever have the pleasure to meet. I always had to be mindful of others, and I didn't know how to deal with people very well. I didn't even know how to deal with myself. I was always scared, and I closed in on myself. But Maka…Maka Albarn brought down my barriers and opened my eyes to the world. She showed me there was more to the world than just darkness, loneliness and pain. In time, I could let myself feel somewhat normal. I never knew what normal was supposed to feel like.

Well, then again…I'm not sure if this is what normal is either.

Lately, I've been feeling strange whenever I'm around Maka…my chest hurts, almost like it's about to fall out onto the floor. Sometimes I catch myself holding my breath around her, especially when she embraces me or holds my hand. I don't want her to let me go. I just want her to go on holding me forever.

But…why? I don't understand why I can't get her out my head. She's always there, even when I close my eyes. I always see her. And I don't want it to stop, either.

* * *

"Crona! Soul! Dinner is ready!"

Soul and I were playing some video games when Maka called us in for dinner. I don't always stay over at their house, but it's a nice change of pace from the stone walls of the academy. Maka and Soul were even kind enough to find me some clothes other than that black robe for me to wear…but the two of them were quote amazed when they saw I picked out boy's clothes. Apparently, they were not 100% sure if I was male or not. I found it kind of humorous now. Soul convinced me to wear black skinny jeans, sneakers and a long-sleeved sweater. It felt odd having something hugging my legs, but it was comfortable enough. And as a plus, Ragnarok couldn't make fun of me for wearing a dress anymore.

"Dinner looks great," said Soul. Maka had cooked one of his favorites; beef curry. "I'm digging in." He took his usual spot next to Maka at the small dinner table in their kitchen, and I sat across from her, and next to an empty chair that was reserved for Blair. Unfortunately, she was not sitting….she was dancing around the kitchen wearing nothing but an apron. It seemed Maka and Soul had grown accustomed to her….idiosyncrasies.

"I hope you enjoy it, Crona," Maka said, staring directly at me. My heart began to pound.

I gulped. "Oh, uh…uh…thank you, thank you so much, Maka," I picked up my chopsticks, but before I could bring the food to my mouth, Ragnarok popped out of my back and ate it himself.

Maka looked irritated. "Did you want a plate too, Ragnarok?" she said, her eyebrow twitching.

"Well, DUH!" shouted Ragnarok. "I gotta eat too, ya bitch!"

Soul decided to pipe in, his mouth full of rice and meat. "Whaft dud youff colf Makhaff?"

Ragnarok bent over my head and shoved his face into my plate, helping himself to the probably magnificent meal Maka had made for me.

"Ahh … Deeee-leeeshus," Ragnarok burped loudly. "Got any more?"

Maka reached over the table and smacked Ragnarok with a heavy hard-covered book. "YEOOW! What the heck was that for?"

"Learn some manners," said Maka. "Crona, take my plate. I'll get another for myself."

I felt so embarrassed, even though I didn't really do anything wrong. "Oh…A-Alright."

Maka giggled as she handed me the plate and I placed it down in front of me. I looked away, even though I had an overwhelming urge to look at her smiling face. I always loved seeing her smile...

Dinner went on normally, with Ragnarok throwing insults left and right and Maka hitting him multiple times with various books. It felt…fun. And I even caught myself laughing. I didn't have to be shy around these people. I could be myself, whoever that was.

We talked for hours, long after our food was cleared from our plates. Soul and Maka talked about the fun times they were having together. They were still working to make Soul into a death scythe, and they were often busy with missions from all over the world. And although I loved hearing their stories, I couldn't help but feel like there was a tight grip in my stomach when Soul and Maka looked at each other. There was something between them….something I couldn't quite ascertain. I couldn't quite tell what the emotion was, but I felt almost angry, or perhaps annoyed. It didn't make any sense. If I was there friend, shouldn't I always be happy to be around them? I shouldn't be feeling so…._sick._

Maka looked over to the window, and her face contorted into a frown. "Oh, no…"

"Huh?" I said. "What's wrong, Maka?"

"Look. It's raining pretty bad out there."

The three of us looked outside, and sure enough, a flash of lightning painted the sky, and the lights went out in the kitchen, making everything dark.

"OooooHHhh noooo!" cried the shrill, over-exaggerated voice of Blair, this time completely wet from her shower, wearing absolutely nothing but her bunny slippers. I promptly covered my eyes, but I heard a CRASH and a BOOM as soon as I did. Curiosity pried my eyes open, and lo and behold, Blair was lying on top of a bloody-nosed Soul.

"The dark is SOOOO scary Soul, won't you come and help me finish up my shower?" she cooed, now biting his ear.

Soul was ignoring us. "Oh...Uh..I don't know about that Blair..." he said, but he didn't seem to put much effort into fighting her back as she started pulling him towards the back, where the bathroom was.

"Blair! You can't just kidnap him like that! We were talking!" Maka shouted, practically screaming. I've seldom heard her so forceful outside of combat.

But Soul wasn't really listening. "I-I'll uh...be right back..." Soul said, leaving Maka and I alone in the dark kitchen.

I turned my gaze over to Maka, who I could barely see, but as another flash of lightning commenced, I saw her face for a split second, and I was shocked at what I saw. Her face had been pained, and I could have sworn I saw a few tears trickling down her face. I don't know why, but I instinctively reached my hand out for her. She didn't notice.

"M-Maka?" I stuttered.

No response. Instead, she turned around and started rummaging through the cabinet under the sink. She placed some things on the table and quickly lit a match. She had placed several candles on the table. She chose a particularly fat one and lit it with her match, and the room was illuminated, and also filled with the sweet scent of vanilla.

"Maka...are...a-are you alright?" I said, trying to put more force into my words. She looked at me this time, and made a tiny smile. It didn't look like a happy one, though.

Finally, she spoke. "The weather is bad outside. You should just stay here for tonight. I'll get you a pillow and some blankets for you, so you can sleep on the couch."

I swallowed. I'd be staying over at Maka's house? How...How am I supposed to deal with this situation?

But I didn't argue.

"Th-Thank you..."

* * *

"Sooouuuul," Blair cooed, still holding onto Soul's arm. "You haven't really played with me in a while, you know."

Soul blushed, turning away. "That one time was only touching, damn cat. Don't get your hopes up. It's never happening again."

Blair started whining. "But I thought you were going to help me take my shower?"

Soul sighed. "No, Blair. I'm going to get you some candles so you don't have to bathe in the dark. There's some under the sink."

"Ugh!" Blair scoffed, and crossed her arms. She was still completely naked, but Soul had seen her body enough times to not be incapacitated by it anymore, even if it did give him a nosebleed. "Soul, if I wanted any lighting, I could have just summoned a pumpkin lantern."

"Then why did you bring me back here?"

"I was lonely, of course…." She said, smiling coyly. "And… it's been a while since I've... _serviced_ someone. I thought maybe you'd be up to the task."

Soul's eyes went wide. "Uh, no. No way. Beastiality is totally not cool."

Blair stomped her foot. "Come _on_ soul. Have you seen these curves?" she posed accordingly, her hipbones jutting out nicely. "And my chest?" She shook her chest slightly, which made her humongous breasts jiggle a bit. Soul covered his eyes with his hand, his other hand in a frustrated fist.

"Blair, stop it. You can't just manipulate people with your body because you're horny." Soul turned away and went for the door. "I'm not going to tell you again. Stop trying to con your way into my pants. It won't work. I've got standards."

"Fine, fine," Blair complained. She snapped her fingers and several tiny glowing pumpkins appeared around her. She stepped into the tub, and turned the knobs back on for the water. "But you're missing out. The V-card status is underrated anyway."

Soul rolled his eyes, and closed the bathroom door behind him.

_**~To Be Continued**_


	2. Pink

_**Chapter Two – Pink**_

_**A/N: **I'm so sorry for the long wait. __Truthfully, I was not going to continue this fanfiction. I grew bored with it very quickly. But seeing as that I had a couple of reviews I figured I should continue. I'm not entirely sure how long this will be—it may very well become a rather long fanfiction. Also, I'm currently going through my final exams, so please be patient. Anyway, here's the long-awaited chapter two of Exhale._

* * *

I followed Maka into her room. She was pulling blankets and a pillow from her closet, and a folded-up futon mattress. She turned around, smiling, and handed the bedding over to me.

"You can sleep in here if you like, actually," Maka said. "It's not much, but I changed my mind about making you sleep on the couch—everyone's butts have been on it anyway."

I nodded my head carefully, still a little amazed that I will be staying not only in Maka's apartment, but in her _room._ My chest felt tight, and I could feel my throat drying up. This was where she slept, vulnerable and unguarded. She trusted me to sleep with her in this room. I felt…honored.

I was snapped back to reality by the ear-splitting noise of Ragnarok chimed in. "Why should we sleep on the damned floor?" He popped up, pressing his hands on my shoulders forcefully. "We should get the bed."

I was almost certain that my face was now the color of a tomato. How could he say something like that?

Maka was laughing, to my surprise. "Ha, well, Ragnarok, if you insist. I don't really care. I can sleep on the futon and you two can sleep on the bed."

At that, my head started spinning. Maka's bed? A bed where Maka's head rests? It probably smells like her shampoo and her body wash…I doubled over in embarrassment, hugging the bedding in my arms. Maka made a nervous laugh, obviously confused about what I was doing.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Ragnarok said, reaching out with his flexibility and pulling me over to the bed. He was pushing his face into her pillows and sighing obnoxiously. I had my abdomen pressed up against the bed, my fingers were touching the soft fabric of the bright purple fabric blanket. There were a few stuffed animals on the bed as well—some bears and a couple rabbits. Her room was unusually girly for someone so serious and mature. But it was comforting, and cute.

"Alright then," Maka clasped her hands together before rummaging through her closet again to pull out some clothes. "I'm going to go see if the bathroom is free. You can head on to bed if you like."

I turned and looked at her. She was smiling so warmly. I smiled back, wondering how lucky I must be to have her as a friend.

* * *

The living room lights flickered on as Soul came out of the bathroom and into the living room. Of course the lights would come on as soon as he left the bathroom. Damn, he really wish he had the heart to kick that damn cat out. She was annoying, and starting to breach her boundaries, if she had any.

Soul and Blair had a minor sexual experience a few months back—she gave him a handjob and he massaged her tits, but she wanted more than that. He simply couldn't get past the fact that even though she could morph into a human-like appearance, she was still _technically_ a cat. No matter how much he may have wanted to lose his virginity, he'd rather it not be Blair. Honestly, if he had a choice, it would be Maka.

Soul felt guilty, however. He did not have a particular interest in her, as far as romance was concerned. And it didn't take a genius to see that she had fallen for him. He loved her, but it was more of a platonic, protective love—like the love of a sister. Mind you, he found her attractive, but he simply couldn't see himself loving her, marrying her, having kids…It just wasn't in his line of sight. If it weren't for the fact that she so clearly has feelings for him, he would totally proposition her, but he couldn't bring himself to break her heart like that.

As Soul was thinking absently to himself, he heart soft footsteps across the room, and a small gasp. He looked up, and saw Maka, looking at him wide-eyed.

"Oh, hi there," he said. "Did Crona go home?"

Maka looked down at her feet. "Um, no. I told him he could stay. He's sleeping in my room tonight."

"In _your room?"_ Soul said, genuinely surprised. "Why would you let him do that?"

Maka looked up angrily at him. "I thought it would be more comfortable than sleeping on the couch where everyone's ass has been, especially since you and Black Star constantly pass gas on it."

Soul looked at her incredulously. "So sleeping together is the logical solution?"

Maka's face went pink. "Sleeping tog—N-no! Who said we were sleeping in the same bed?" Maka was shouting now. "I'm sleeping on a futon on the ground and I'm letting him take my bed! Sheesh, whats wrong with you Soul?"

Soul was now embarrassed, realizing he had overstepped his bounds. "I—I was just…I'm sorry, I just misunderstood."

Maka rubbed her face. "Whatever, I don't care anymore." She continued looking at Soul angrily. "Is the bathroom free? I'd like to get a bath."

As if on cue, Blair came out of the bathroom, dressed in a rather small pink towel that just barely covered her breasts and the area between her legs. She was stretching. She looked over at Soul and Maka, sensing the tension. "Did I miss something?" she said, sounding a little too cheerful for Maka's taste. Maka scoffed, and pushed her way past Soul and Blair, locking the door shut behind her.

* * *

I had managed to get myself comfortable in Maka's bed before I heard her shouting. She sounded genuinely angry that Soul would think we were sleeping in the same bed. My heart sank. Not that I had any intention of sleeping in bed with her (I wouldn't be able to sleep with her so close to me), but it was upsetting to know that she was disgusted by the thought of sharing a bed with me. I felt I warm wetness on my cheek as I closed my eyes.

"For the love of Death, you're pathetic," I heard Ragnarok croak. I opened one eye and Saw him looking at me. "You've got zero balls, you know? Go back to wearing that stupid looking dress."

"Shut up," I said, my voice breaking a bit. I felt awful, but I couldn't put my finger on why. "Why are you being so mean?"

"Because you're being a sad little sack of crap, that's why," said Ragnarok. "It's making me wanna barf."

I hit him with the pillow. "I'm not sad, I'm…I don't know. I'm just not sad." I curled up in a little ball. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Oh for real? You're _that _clueless?" said Ragnarok, now laughing. "Oh boy, you really are dense."

I've had to listen to Ragnarok's abuse for years, but it still infuriated me when he called me stupid. I'm not stupid. I may not know much about the world, but my intelligence was slightly above average—I can at least score higher marks than Black Star, to say the least.

"I'm not dense," I said after a few minutes, tears still brimming on my eyelids.

"Hah. Yes you are." Ragnarok began to give me a noogie. For some reason, the noogie felt a little less harsh than usual. He muttered, almost sympathetically, "You're in love with Maka."

I sat up so quickly my vision went blurry. "WHAT?" I blurted out loudly, surely loud enough for the whole apartment to hear me. "I'm—I'm not…But I…" I lifted up my hands, they were trembling terribly. I swallowed a lump in my throat, and my heart began to pound. "I c-c-can't…can't be in…l..lo.."

"_Love, _dipshit," said Ragnarok, grabbing me by the collar of my sweater. "You're in love with Maka, now suck it up and kiss her or something so I can stop watching you being gloomier than usual."

I was about to make a reply hen the door opened, and I turned my head expecting to see Maka, when instead I saw Blair, who was only in her pink towel. And looking at me curiously.

"Um, I heard someone shouting in here…" she said, eyeing me carefully.

I cleared my throat. "Oh, um, yes…that was me. Sorry." I silently prayed that she didn't hear the conversation I had just had with Ragnarok.

She giggled slightly, and closed the door behind her. "So Crona…" she said with a devious smile, now stepping towards me. I noticed, with a bit of nervousness, that her breasts were dangerously close to popping out of the towel. Ragnarok was eyeing her as well, and he looked at me, obviously as confused as I was that she was even talking to me.

"When did you start falling for Maka, eh?" she cooed.

I immediately pushed myself into the wall, crushing Ragnarok and making him grunt. I covered my face, as I knew it was probably completely red. Blair had heard the conversation, and now I was immensely embarrassed. I wasn't sure whether or not I truly was _in love_ with Maka, but I definitely didn't want anyone knowing about it just yet, if ever. "Please don't tell Maka," I said, practically squeaking.

I heard Blair giggle again, and sensed movement on the bed. My eyes were still closed, but I could smell the fresh rose-scented body wash on Blair. I opened my eyes, and sure enough, there she was, only about two inches away from me. My eyes were even wider now.

"You're a virgin, aren't you, sweetie?" she said, raising her hand to touch my chin with her pointer finger. Her cat ears on top of her head were twitching and her face looked flushed. She licked her lips as she moved her pointer finger down the length of my neck, leaving goose bumps where she touched.

Ragnarok piped up now. "What does that have to do with Crona liking Maka?"

"Oh, nothing…nothing at all." Blair smiled coyly, and quickly pounced on top of me, pressing me hard into the wall. I grunted, and at this point I was thoroughly confused. I was trying to wrap my head around why scantily clad woman was suddenly on top of me looking positively hungry—_Oh…_

Realization suddenly hit me, and I couldn't help but gulp and try to ignore the sudden sweaty-ness that had overcome me. I was not very well versed in sex, and I did not have any intention to explore that part of the human experience with Blair of all people, even though her breasts looked soft and I almost wanted to reach out and—

"What the hell are you doin, you crazy horny cat?!" Ragnarok said, now trying to push her off of me. Unfortunately, when he did so, he pushed a bit too hard, and she fell onto her back on the bed. This made the towel open up and suddenly she was completely naked, exposed, and her legs were spread out for me to see something very pink, hairless, and glistening. I couldn't tear my eyes away, and instead my mouth hung wide open.

Blair's smile grew much bigger upon seeing my reaction. She closed her eyes, spread her legs even wider, and began touching herself between her legs and moaning softly.

Ragnarok looked at me, shook his head, and retracted back into my body, leaving me alone with Blair, whose hand was now increasing in speed. Before I really knew what was happening, my pants began to feel tight and warm. Then, the door opened, and my eyes darted over to the door.

Maka was standing there, eyes still closed and drying her hair with a towel. I panicked, not looking forward to having to explain to Maka why a naked lady was touching herself in front of me. I looked over in front of me, still expecting Blair to be there, but the bed was empty—even the pink towel was gone. Maka took her towel away from her head and looked at me, smiling. "You all ready for bed?" she said.

I turned away and hid under the blanket, my crotch feeling like it was on fire, and she giggled at me delightedly, thinking I was just being shy again.

"Haha, okay, good night Crona." Maka said, turning off the light and setting up the futon.

I had no idea how I was supposed to deal with this situation, or go to sleep.

_**~ to be continued…**_


End file.
